Black-rumped Flameback

I observed three Black-rumped Flamebacks (Dinopium benghalense) interacting and foraging on an Acacia sp. earlier this week. Photos below.

Politics, perceptions, and actions on illegal logging in Madagascar: Interacting with government officials and the poor

A recent NYTimes story reports on the trend of very open - though illegal - logging in reserve forests in Madagascar. The target species is rosewood - a highly valuable species in Asia, especially China, that has all but disappeared from that continent. According to the story, a lack of political will to enforce rules against rosewood logging has allowed the rosewood trade to persist in Madagascar. Often, government official benefit economically from allowing rosewood production to persist. Although illegal rosewood timber production has been going on for some time in Madagascar, recent political instability has ramped-up rose wood production, with reports of significant ecological disruption in Madagascar's rainforests - home to many endemic flora and fauna species.

NGOs are on the ground, documenting and exposing the illicit trade, which is a highly important part of this process. Given the current government's inability to leverage the rule of law toward forest conservation, civil society can play a role in seeking solutions, either from other governments, or from forces within Madagascar. On the ground reports of illegal logging that leads to ecological destruction can inform other nations' dealings with Madagascar, and could form the basis of diplomacy from rich nations that would incentive the government to crack-down - providing a counterweight to the current incentives officials have to turn their head.

The story misses a crucial element in the strategy on ceasing illegal logging. Interacting with those organizing the illicit logging at the top level is only one part of the solution, and while probably necessary, is ultimately insufficient to prevent future rosewood poaching. As it is now, the poor communities who traditionally lived in reserve forests, but who were displaced some time ago, are providing the labor necessary to extract the increasingly scarce trees, which earns them a wage they find hard to replace. In addition to focusing on interventions at the government level, NGOs must look to work directly with the poor, supporting initiatives that boost livelihoods and build institutions for forest conservation. When the poor have alternatives for income that beat the wages paid by illegal logging operations - typically logging mafias - they can be included in the efforts that seek to halt illegal logging. For, even if the government were to make genuine efforts towards stopping the logging, as long as a market existed for rosewood and the poor had no better livelihood options, illegal timber extraction with proceed.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/25/world/africa/25madagascar.html?hp

Few pics of Prosopis juliflora

Here are a few pics of Prosopis juliflora that Elaine and I had the chance to take this morning near our office.

In the above pic, the lateral shape of the canopy (as described in the previous post) as well as some evidence of cutting for fuelwood can be seen.

In this one, evidence of cutting for fuelwood can also be seen, although this branch was cut less recently.

A new chapter in the saga of Prosopis juliflora in India: Demand from biomass powerplants

Prosopis juliflora is an invasive legume shrub that has been increasingly prevalent in India over the past decades. Native to the Americas, P. juliflora was brought to India in the early 20th century from modern-day Pakistan in order to green the countryside of dry areas in the western states. P. juliflora known for its ability to survive the harsh climes of India's drylands. It can resist drought conditions - it is best with annual precipitation of 250-600 mm, though it can survive with 150mm - and it can be sustained on lands with high salinity, which means it can establish stable populations in areas where other vegetation cannot, like in many parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan. It has been very successful in spreading itself throughout the country, penetrating ecosystems across regions of the country; it thrives in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharastra, Orissa, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Tamilnadu and West Bengal. This species is fast growing and establishes a large lateral canopy, which allows local populations to cover plots of land quite quickly.

                                 Flowers of Prosopis juliflora

Its success in establishing itself has caused ecological damage. It easily out-competes native shrubs and grasses due to its fast pace of growth and large lateral root system that hordes ground moisture. Further, its leaves may have chemical properties that prevent germination of other flora species, especially grasses. Its expansion is thought to work in tandem with another invasive shrub, Lantana Camera. On the whole, this species is blamed for negative changes in rural agro-ecosystem: e.g., it caused a 6% reductions in grass cover in Gujarat through the 1980's.

Yet, its biophysical properties haven't been the only catalyst of its propagation in India. It  has been used extensively in forestry programs in order to meet vegetation-cover targets, as it lateral canopy grows extensively and quickly. It is also farmed in some states in India. Finally, it is a significant source of fodder for goats and its seeds are disbursed in goat dung.

Despite its negative ecological impact, P. juliflora has become integral in rural livelihoods in India. As noted above, it serves as a source of goat fodder - although it is also blamed for reductions in more valuable fodder types, such as native grasses. Nonetheless, its presence on degraded common lands make it invaluable to landless livestock herders. Beyond its importance as fodder, it is a major source of fuelwood to rural households, who collect it from these degraded common lands for use as a source of energy. In areas where common lands have been degraded severely, P. juliflora may be the only viable source of household energy. Additionally, the poorest households will sell P. juliflora in fuelwood markets as a source of income. With its high calorific value and ability to coppice quickly, it can be considered a good source of fuelwood and is actually preferred by many rural communities.

The link via livelihoods is what makes recent interest in P. juliflora as a large-scale fuel for biomass power plants a threat to the rural poor. Biomass powerplants are on the rise in India, raising the demand for cheap biomass. In this trend, P. juliflora has become one of the most sought-after sources of fuel among biomass powerplants. For instance, 30% of electricity in Andhra Pradesh state generated from biomass powerplants is from P.  Juliflora alone. Its increasing demand has raised its price: on average, it went from Rs 700-1,000 per ton to Rs 1,800-2,300 per ton in the past year. Proponents of biomass power production seek to exploit common lands, the ones that support the landless rural poor, for production of fast-yield woody biomass species, like P. juliflora. Doing so robs the poor of lands that support their very survival through the provision of crucial ecosystem services, including fuelwood and fodder, but myriad others as well. 

The increased price and demand has a severe negative impact on the rural poor who depend on P. juliflora for daily needs. Its increased value will mean that it will be extracted by highly organized, contracted collectors and sold to power plants, instead of being available for household collection. With little political power, the poor cannot do much to prevent P. juliflora's diversion toward industrial interests. With P. juliflora less available, how will poor rural households meet their daily fuelwood and fodder needs? More importantly, if the lands where P. juliflora grows are cut-off, perhaps the provision of P. juliflora is just one among many services that local ecosystems provide that will be lost to the poor. Needless to say, without significant support and planning from government and NGO partners, India's land-dependent rural poor face a considerable welfare crisis. If we could go back in time, perhaps we'd choose against introducing P. juliflora at all. Promoting native species is certainly a better option. However, as it stands now, the rural poor depend on P. juliflora and this must be taken seriously as it becomes less available to them. Long term policy should increase the poor's power to manage degraded commonlands and regenerate them ecologically, phasing-out P. juliflora in favor of native species that promote better ecosystem functioning. However, this is a long term goal that requires careful environmental and social planning with gradual steps that are sensitive to impacts on the ground. Industrial takeover of P. juliflora, and indeed the lands where it thrives, is a step in the wrong direction.

References
Purdue University Center for New Crops and Plant Products. (1998, 05-15-2010). Prosopis juliflora. from http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/duke_energy/Prosopis_juliflora.html#Ecology

Ramesh, N., Kandhari, R., & Pallavi, A. (2010). Biomass market in flux. Down to Earth, 18.

Robbins, P. (2004). Comparing invasive networks: Cultural and political biographies of invasive species. Geographical Review, 94(2), 139-156.